Glow
by Kreepi Spicer
Summary: He was right. We would never get the chance to be together again. For a moment, it seemed like a dim future was lying ahead of me. And then I saw the flash of lightning.


A/N: I wonder if anyone from the old days is still up here. Hmm. Anyways, to the new people I've yet to meet, my name is Kreepi Spicer (obviously not my real one) and I am a former JackxKimiko fanfic author. I haven't been much for the XS fandom since about my freshman year of high school and I am now, finally, a high school graduate on the verge of college. I've been feeling extremely nostalgic as of late and decided to visit the XS fandom to see how my JackxKimiko colleagues have been. Much to my dismay, the most recently updated fic from that fandom was in February. IT'S JULY PEOPLE! So, I feel that it is my duty to return to what I once loved and cherished with a renewed fervor and a (hopefully) better writing style. And that is why, at 11:45 pm on a Tuesday night, on my laptop that is not located in a wifi setting, I am writing this piece. I can only hope that you enjoy it.

**Disclaimer: I do not own XS nor any of the characters featured in the show.**

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**I doubt many people would take me for a storm person, being the Dragon of Fire and all, but there is something oddly calming about sitting outside and watching the rain pour in front of you. I get a chill as thunder booms above me, yet smile at the vibrations it sends down my body. As for the lightning . . . well that's in a category of its own.

Master Fung has predicted a peaceful summer, which has led my friends to wander off on their own for the next few months. I was more than tempted to go home and visit my father, but I would only see him for a moment or two before some important executive from a rival company would dial his number and whisk him away to go do some sort of "vital" business. I know his job keeps us from having to struggle, but living in China, fighting for Shen-Gong-Wu and risking my life on a daily basis has taught me that I could definitely survive the streets of Tokyo. I try not to resent him for doing what he feels is right; I just wish he would stop every now and then.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see a flash of lightning across the field that pulls me out of my thoughts about my father. Rai said that I glow when I see the lightning; I doubt it's true. He only says things to flirt, even though he knows it will never happen. The lightning just symbolizes everything I want. My life feels like a storm, with chaos closing in on me every second of the day. Lightning gives me hope. It's the only light you see in a storm and although it comes with some bad side effects, it's still a light. A hope.

A loud clang distinguishes that the world isn't as absorbed in the storm as I am. Strange, though, that there should be any noise at the moment other than the thunder and my own thoughts. Raimundo was in Brazil with his siblings, Clay was visiting his Texas and Omi traveled to some other part of China with Dojo on some quest. Why that boy never accepts a vacation is beyond my levels of comprehension. My thoughts jump to the clang and I wonder if maybe the two of them have returned. Odd though, I would have thought that Dojo would have gotten in contact with either Master Fung or me before arriving so we wouldn't suspect that . . .

The noise. It was coming from where we kept the Wu locked up. I started running. Rain quickly drenched my hair and clothes, sliding off my skin as if it was a water repellent. If I had time to think, I probably would have laughed at the irony of water keeping away from Fire. At the moment however, I was preoccupied. _Please don't let it be anything bad, please don't let it be anything bad,_ repeated like a mantra as I neared the temple. Although I know I am strong, the idea of taking on anyone without any form of backup and with all the Shen-Gong-Wu locked up, I felt vulnerable. I reached the gardens when the lightning flashed once more, illuminating the plain long enough for me to spot the culprit.

Flaming red hair, eyes that match rubies, moonlike skin and a black trench coat to set the entire look off, I couldn't help but feel a small smirk of easy victory cross my lips.

"Hey Jack," I yelled, "didn't you get the memo that the entire world of good versus evil is on vacation this summer?"

Lightning again. I could quickly note that the door to the temple was still locked, Jack possessed no Wu and he wasn't even carrying his normal bag to stuff all his stolen goods into. Before the light faded, I could see Jack's head rise as his eyes met mine across the field. I almost felt a pang in my heart. Never had I seen so much loneliness in a single person's eyes.

Utter darkness. For a moment, I thought of using my powers to light up the world around me, but chose not to do so. There was no need to see where he was, because I knew that when the sky lit up once more, I would see him standing in front of me.

There was light and my prediction was correct. There were those lonely eyes, staring right into mine. As the sky darkened, he finally opened his mouth to speak. "Is that why you're not trying to stop me from stealing Wu? Because if that's the case, I'll be more than glad to take a few of them off your stupid Xiaolin hands."

It's amazing how much eyes and voices can be so different. One tells me that he's only here in the hopes of being around a human being. The other tells me that this is just a normal, hate filled encounter. What a contradicting scenario.

"It doesn't look like you're here to steal our Wu. You have five seconds to tell me what's going on before I burn you to a nice crisp."

Light. Those eyes. A sadness that was almost mesmerizing. "What else would I be here for?" There was a sneer on his face that didn't match those gorgeous, deliciously sad ruby eyes.

"You tell me," I said, crossing my arms in a manner to show him who was in charge in this town. "You have absolutely nothing on you that show me that you're here to steal a single object, the temple doors are still locked and you look like you've had one really bad day. Maybe you were hoping the good side could, I dunno," I shrugged "comfort you?"

His reaction was immediate. Although I could no longer see his face, I could feel his body tense as if he had been caught red-handed (which, I noted, he had). "Me? Need comfort? HA! What a load of crock. Like I, Jack Spicer, evil genius, would need something as unevil as comfort."

"Unevil isn't a word. And you've needed comfort before."

"Have not."

"Have too. Anytime there's trouble you can't handle, you come running to us for help. So what are you hiding from?"

The lightning came and there was a new look in those beautiful eyes. There was conflict, an inner turmoil that could rival that of an addict who knows they have a problem. I could see the struggle, as though he were fighting the urge to tell me what was wrong. I wanted to know; I wanted him to tell me.

But why? Why do I want to know a single thing about Jack Spicer? He's only ever helped in bringing true evil to us. The times he has shown kindness to us have been the times when he either owed us a huge debt that even he couldn't ignore, he truly needed our help and when he felt like tricking us. Jack was never sincere. His promises, his words, meant nothing of value for they rarely have spoken the truth.

Part of me has always wondered if I could have turned out like Jack. We're alike in so many ways. My father, a business tycoon always in the office, and his father, a business man always roaming the world for new ways to make money, were almost identical. The only difference was that my father has tried to show me attention by sending me gifts and remembering my birthday. If he hadn't . . . would I be in Jack's league? Would I, instead of being a Dragon of Fire on the side of good, be helping him create evil schemes in a pathetic attempt to take over the world?

Things were starting to make sense. If I were Jack, I wouldn't really want to take over the world. I would do just about anything to get my father's attention redirected towards me. Jack has been doing this for years, but there hasn't been a change. Why is he keeping it up then? It's not working.

I feel Jack take a step closer to me. I don't budge. I don't want to move. The night sky is riddled with lightning strikes and his pale face is luminescent. He slowly lifts his right hand, trembling slightly, and rests it on my face. The feel of his palm against my cheek sends electric shocks down my spine and I feel a blush creeping upon my face.

A rare smile appears. Rare only because it is the one time I have ever seen a genuine smile upon Jack's face in my years of knowing him. His voice is hardly above a whisper as he says, "You're perfect in the rain." I watch as his face gradually begins to come closer to mine. An uncontrollable urge sweeps over me and I lean closer to him.

He pauses, his lips hovering above mine, as though he is unsure of whether or not I would kill him if he proceeded. The doubt is short, and with the sky dark once more, he closes the gap between our faces and gently kisses me.

I have been kissed before. I shared one with a boyfriend in Tokyo last year, as well as one single kiss with Rai. Neither of their kisses can compare. Jack had the passion, almost like a fire to rival my own. This kiss was his way of finally releasing his secret, a secret I realized that I had always known. As the kiss drew on, the thunder rumbled louder and the lightning became more frequent. Both of his hands were cupping my face now and my arms were wrapped around his waist, drawing him as close to me as possible.

My thoughts were a jumbled mess of incoherent sentences. I felt as though my conscience was tugging at me, telling me to stop, but I swiped it away. Whatever this was, I had been waiting for, and I wasn't letting this opportunity slip away. He was mine for this moment, and only this moment.

As the lightning faded in the distance, so did our kiss. He pulled back reluctantly and gazed at me with those glorious eyes. They knew, as I did, that we wouldn't get the chance to be a couple. Dating, kissing, being together . . . we couldn't do it.

"If you were good," I started, but he shook his head.

"The same as if you were bad. But it's not going to happen, is it?" I only wish I could have seen the hope in his eyes as he said that.

"No, how about you?" I felt his head shake and sighed. "Well then, this is it."

His hand moved down to hold my hands. I heard him murmur, "Such tiny hands," before he spoke loud enough for me to intentionally hear. "You're beautiful, Kimiko. To say I love you would be an understatement, and probably the wrong thing to say when I know I'm not gonna have you in the end. But you are beautiful, especially in the rain." He paused and I could tell he was smiling. "You almost glow during a storm."

"Is that why you came?" I never had discovered his true intentions for coming to the temple in the first place.

The lightning lit up his face one final time for me to see his goofy, lovable smile plastered across his face. "Guess you'll never know." Before I could blink, his Heli-Pack was already open and he began to lift up in the air without another word.

I collapsed on the ground as he began to disappear. All my emotions were untying themselves, revealing everything I had locked up inside of me for years. I'm not sure how long I sat there, interpreting everything that had happened while Jack had been here. I figured out everything and tried my best to come to grips with the reality of the world. He was right. We would never get the chance to be together again. For a moment, it seemed like a dim future was lying ahead of me.

And then I saw the flash of lightning.

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A/N: I apologize for anything that I may have referenced to from the show that was incorrect. I'm pretty sure everything is right, but it's now 1:18 am and I could be wrong. I hope you enjoyed this piece. I liked writing it and I'm wondering if maybe I should rejoin the fandom. Hmmm, guess we'll see. R&R!


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